Mr. K's College Knowledge

As many of you know, the SAT will be drastically changing in the spring of 2016. This will mainly affect current freshmen and anyone younger. I personally see these changes as positive and I look forward to seeing how all of this works out. If you are a freshmen, parent of one, or just interested in the changes, please take a look at the changes from Kaplan Test Prep . Enjoy! -Mr. Joe Korfmacher

Recently, I have had the pleasure of traveling to nine colleges in Seattle, Portland, and Saint Louis. Visiting schools across the country give me great perspective and insight on the different programs and environments available to all students. Since I have always worked with students in the NYC area, I have noticed that most students and families are “stuck” in the 3-5 hour bubble of schools. Of course, there are hundreds of terrific colleges and universities in this part of the country; I hate to see students limit themselves. Traveling around the country has opened my eyes to some incredible places, and I am excited to share these experiences with all of you. In the coming weeks, I will highlight the schools I visited, and I hope that you will take a closer look at these schools and others, that you may not have thought about before. The first university I would like to highlight is Saint LouisUniversity , most commonly referred to as SLU. Here are a few SLU ‘quick-hitters’: ...

For those who do not know, a GAP year is when a student does not attend college right after graduating from high school. Instead the student uses this time to intern, do research, travel, or anything else with the plan to matriculate into college the following year. GAP years are becoming more and more popular, and if done correctly, can be a great experience. A GAP year definitely is not for everyone, and it can be tough to get yourself back in student mode and attend college, but if done right, it can be an incredible experience. I wanted to share this following GAP year experience available through American University in Washington DC that recently came across my desk. “With over 70 years of experience developing and teaching experiential courses through the successful Washington Semester and Washington Mentorship programs, we are expanding our curriculum to focus on recent high school graduates who are taking a year off for experiential endeavors before starting college. The A...

It is just about April 1 st , and almost all college decisions have been mailed out. From what I am seeing, it looks as if it has been another super competitive year for students at colleges across the country, especially the highly selective ones. Although we hope all students have some good news to focus on, I know that most students have their share of denials and waitlists. If you were denied from a school, at least you went for it, as the only thing worse than a denial is the regret of never applying to the school in the first place. Also, if you are still in love with the school, you can always apply next year. If you were placed on the waiting list, hang in there…it could be a long time before or if you hear from the school. Here are a few tips if you find yourself on this list: ·          When third quarter grades are available, ask your counselor to send the grades to these schools ·        ...

As many of you know by now, the SAT is getting a facelift in the next couple of years. These changes most likely will only affect current freshmen and the classes after them, as the new SAT will not appear until spring of 2016. However, I wanted to give you a breakdown of the basics of the changes that are coming our way. Overall, the SAT wanted to create a test that is tougher to prep for and is more relevant to what students are learning in the classroom. Below are the big changes: ·          The SAT is going back to 1600 points coming only from math and critical reading (2400 points had a good run, but it will be no more starting in 2016) ·          The essay will be optional (as with the ACT, the essay will be optional, but I would imagine students will want to take this part of the SAT) The essay will also be a combination of reading, comprehending, analyzing, and writing. ·   ...

We all know that college admissions is a competitive world. With many of the selective schools having their pick of students, every part of an applicant is reviewed, and just one aspect of the applicant can potentially make the student stand-out among his peers. Colleges take a holistic approach during the admissions process, considering the academic and personal characteristics of the applicant (i.e. academic record, standardized test scores, résumé, essay, recommendations etc.) All of these pieces of the college application puzzle are essential, but the one I want to showcase today is the résumé; and more importantly, community service as a part of the résumé. Community service and volunteering are obviously very important to take part in to help others who may be less fortunate or to help a good cause. It doesn’t hurt that it can also look very good on the college application. There are hundreds of ways to help out in the community and every little bit counts. However, I would ...

It is almost February, and the college application season has been long, and draining. You most likely have put hours upon hours of your life researching, visiting, contemplating, and applying to colleges. This is a huge decision, and all the hard work will pay off. However, if you are not satisfied with your college list, you do not just have to settle with what you have now. There is still time to search for and apply to colleges across the country. Yes, January 15th was a big day for regular decision deadlines, but there are still hundreds of great colleges and universities that are still accepting applications. If you are not satisfied with your college list, or you have been accepted into a few colleges, but the the financial aid award letter doesn't offer as much as you like, keep looking. There are still a ton of schools that have deadlines in February and March, and even some that are rolling admissions and go into the summer. Below I will list a few prominent universitie...